Coalition of Civil Society Organisation Groups, CSOG, has threatened to storm the National Assembly, NASS, to protest its dissatisfaction over the alleged plan to retain Senator James Manager and Nicolas Mutu in their chairmanship positions of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, in the upper and lower chambers respectively.
President of the group, Comrade Etuk Bassey Williams, told journalists in Abuja, yesterday, that his members had fixed Tuesday, October 13, as the protest day to the National Assembly.
Williams explained that the protest was meant to warn the leadership of both chambers against bowing to pressure from the legislators who are already lobbying to retain their chairmanship positions.
He said Manager and Mutu are from the same local government, federal constituency and senatorial district, and have held the position for the past 12 years, warning that they should not be allowed to perpetuate themselves in the committee.
According to him, both legislators have been enhancing and encouraging corruption in the commission as their companies got most of the contracts by virtue of their positions.
“The two legislators have turned themselves into legislative contractors. They aided corruption in NDDC which is also contained in the Auditor-General’s report revealed to Nigerians recently.
“The people in their constituency have not benefited from their 12 years of legislative practice. Not even a single borehole has been sunk in their immediate constituency, no education centre, no healthcare system and no good roads in the face of billions of naira contracts received from NDDC. This has hindered them from carrying out their constitutional functions against the commission.
“We are urging the leadership of both chambers of the National Assembly to reject any pressure from Manager and Mutu to retain their chairmanship positions because it is not their birth right,” he said.
Williams added that the leadership of both chambers should make their position known on the issue before the scheduled protest day, saying the coalition will not relent until its demand is accorded proper response.
The president urged the legislators to declare their assets and called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to immediately commence investigation into their activities since they assumed the chairmanship positions.
He said this has become necessary due to their alleged involvement in corruption in the NDDC, warning that they were ready to occupy the National Assembly if they fail to declare their assets publicly before seven days.